But I Still Want You {Taekook}

7. Jeongguk

When the morning came, there was nothing that Jeongguk wanted more than to call in sick and cancel all of his appointments. But he wasn't selfish enough to let BamBam, Yugyeom and his other coworkers deal with the consequences of his cowardice, so he laboriously got up and got ready to face what promised to be a Majorly Crappy Day.

It was already starting amazingly, he thought ironically when his coffee maker broke down in his hands with no warning. Now that begged a complicated question; which would be worse between going through one hour of coaching with Kim Taehyung without a single drop of coffee in his system or having to rely on the gym's dishwater coffee from the staff room?

Jeongguk shook his head. He was probably in need of something stronger than coffee anyway.

In the end, he decided to make a small detour on his way to work and arrived at the gym with a warm and creamy coffee from his favorite coffee place. Hopefully, the little treat would help him get through the entire day.

The morning was actually rather okay, mostly thanks to Riho and her sarcastic humor that Jeongguk really loved. But after lunch break, he suddenly found himself on the wrong side of noon, and the minutes that still separated him from having to see Kim Taehyung were quickly dissolving into nothingness.

Shit, Jeongguk thought, sick to his stomach, when his last session before the one with Taehyung ended. Shit, fuck, shit.

Heart constricted, hands shaking, he left his little private training room and headed towards the reception desk, hoping for a miracle. Maybe he changed his mind, maybe he had a cold, maybe he was stuck in traffic.

No such luck, though. Of course, Kim Taehyung was already there, waiting for him at the reception desk, dressed in green baggy pants and a very loose white tee shirt - so large, in fact, that three people could have easily fit inside. He was wearing a large olive-colored headband and the upper part of his black hair was tied at the back of his head.

He was a far cry from the guy who'd showed up at the bar and at Yoongi's with Gucci shirts and belts, but Jeongguk felt like someone had just punched him in the gut.

Fuck. He's beautiful.

So beautiful, in fact, that the other people in the gym were giving him sidelong glances, and a group of girls, using the exercise bikes, were whispering to themselves while obviously ogling him. Taehyung didn't seem to notice, too busy looking at his phone.

Irritated, Jeongguk walked to the reception desk. This was going to be pure torture.

He had barely crossed half the room when Taehyung looked up, as if he'd felt him approaching. Heart beating like crazy in his chest, Jeongguk tried to keep his composure and stopped next to the desk counter.

"Hi," Taehyung said, gaze still fixated on him.

Ignoring him, Jeongguk reached over the counter and picked up the printed schedule, as if to check the name of his new client.

BamBam, who had been curious to know, the day before, why Jeongguk was so reluctant to take him as a client - and getting no answer for his trouble - was eyeing them both curiously. Avidly, even. "Jeongguk, this is Kim Taehyung, your new client. Your next session is with him."

"Okay", Jeongguk replied, still pointedly avoiding Taehyung's gaze, putting the schedule back on the desk. "Let's go, then. Follow me."

Without bothering to check if Taehyung was actually following him, Jeongguk turned and went back the way he came, making for the personal training rooms. Being alone for an hour in a small, private room with Kim Taehyung, now that was his idea of fun.

Neither exchanged a word until they reached the hallway and Jeongguk opened the door to his little room. "Come in."

When the door closed behind them, suddenly, Jeongguk thought he was going to suffocate. He opened a window, as if that would change anything, then turned to Taehyung, who was watching him with a curious mix of hope and wariness.

Then, at this very moment, Jeongguk decided not to address the elephant in the room, and instead to treat Taehyung as if he was a normal client.

"So," he started, "since this is your first time, let me explain to you how it goes. First, I'm going to ask you questions about what you want and what exactly are your goals. Then we'll talk about time commitment. Such as, do you plan on coming in rather once a week or rather twice a day? Starting from there, we will decide which plan would suit you best. Then, my role, as your trainer, is to guide you through that plan from start to finish. Is that ok with you?"

Taehyung was staring at him, mouth open, visibly surprised. "Oh, um... I, I guess so, yeah."

"Problem?"

"No, I mean... I only signed up because I thought it was the easiest way to get you to listen to what I had to say. I never actually thought about a training plan."

Jeongguk gaped at him. This was going to be so, so hard. He forced himself to school his features into neutrality.

"If personal training isn't what you signed up for, then I strongly suggest you cancel your subscription," Jeongguk replied coldly. "There's a fifteen days cancellation policy, you will be able to get a refund."

"I don't want a refund," Taehyung protested. "I want to speak with you. You won't let me talk to you, you won't even reply to my texts. This was my only option."

Jeongguk was really trying to keep it professional, here, but it was proving harder and harder by the second. "And this is my workplace. Please respect that I am here to work and stop trying to mix personal matters in it."

"I will!" Taehyung shouted. "As soon as you let me apologize!" He was looking a bit crazy, with his wide eyes and flushed cheeks. And hot, too, but Jeongguk was too blinded by his anger to properly appreciate that detail.

"You had seven years to apologize!" he yelled, suddenly letting go of the cold, professional persona he was trying so hard to keep. "But you didn't give a fuck before, so why now?"

"I didn't know where you were before! You didn't exactly leave an address and phone number so I could reach you!"

"Bullshit," Jeongguk snapped irritably. "You had plenty of opportunities before graduating high school."

"I tried!" Taehyung exclaimed, waving his arms like a madman. "You kept avoiding me! You hid every time I came too close to you. How was I supposed to do it?"

Jeongguk gasped, ears ringing in anger. So now, it was his fault? For a moment, neither of them spoke, and the silence felt stifling, charged with electricity. But then, Taehyung slowly let out a breath, trying to calm down.

"Look, I don't want to fight," he said in a placating voice. "On the contrary. I want to apologize."

"I don't give a single fuck about your apologies. I don't want to hear them," Jeongguk muttered darkly. "If you're here to train, then I will train you, as a paid instructor. If you're not, then fuck off right now."

"Jeongguk, please..."

"Your choice, Taehyung." Jeongguk walked to the door and opened it wide. "If you can't respect that I don't want to talk to you, you should leave now."

Taehyung shook his head, looking dejected. It was so hard not to be distracted by his unworldly beauty - but now really wasn't the time.

"No," he whispered. "I'll stay."

Jeongguk gave him a hard stare. "I mean it. Next time you bring personal shit up, I'll kick you out. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Taehyung replied, head lowered in defeat.

"Good," Jeongguk said, closing the door again. "Now. Goals."